The Grue-Crew are at again, counting down the best horror films of the year. 2016 was a bastard of a year stealing the most talented from us way too soon and shaking up politics and popular opinion. Yet, horror films ruled supreme winning at the box office and surprising horror fans on Blu-ray and VOD. The Black Saint, Dave Dreher, Thomas Mariani and Doc Rotten gather one last time for the year to reveal their top ten films which include high profile theatrical releases, hit foreign films, and challenging low-budget independent films. The lists are full of curiosities and expected hits alike with Train to Busan and The Conjuring 2 racking up the most notices.

And still 2016 has one last terrific entry for horror fans with the December release of The Autopsy of Jane Doe from director Andre Ovredal featuring Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox in the lead roles. The film manages to do what many films cannot – provide a thrilling mystery and a rewarding twist. The direction, the acting, and the cinematography combine to bring one last atmospheric, scary horror film to fans. The only disappointing thing about the film is that is was denied a theatrical release.

Dave guides the Horror News of the Week with a trio of trailers. First up is the Alien: Covenant trailer released on Christmas day, for some reason. Next is a clip from the upcoming film Beyond Skyline, and who cares. Last up is the awkward IMAX trailer for The Mummy missing much of its audio track, and it’s is so much better for it, for all the wrong reasons.

Feature Review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

2016 ends on a great note with the film The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which ends up on many of the best of the year lists. The film is from the director of Trollhunters, Andre Ovredal, following a mortician and his son as the perform an autopsy on an unknown victim of a horrific crime scene. Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox are fantastic, and convincing, as the father and son, providing horror some of the best performances of the year. The story behind the death of “Jane Doe” is enthralling, capturing the audience’s attention and never letting go. Gruesome and frightening, the Grue-Crew have a great time recapping and reviewing this late addition to the horror films of 2016.

Special Feature: The Best Horror Films of 2016

The Grue-Crew dive into their best of lists for 2016 with fandom delight and enthusiastic glee. 2016 is a great year for horror films. The only drawback is how difficult to keep the top list to only ten films. Dave, The Black Saint, Thomas and Doc all get their opportunity to plead their cases for their top 10 list, some films repeat in nearly each list, while others a small surprises and, perhaps, questionable inclusions. So, here it is, the Best Horror Films of 2016.

The Grue-crew board the horror express known as Train to Busan. The South Korean horror film is an incredible new entry into the zombie sub-genre that gets the HNR gang very excited to discuss how successful it is on this episode. If only Joseph Perry were here. Ha! Also, this episode, Thomas settles in to recap and review the animated extravaganza Kubo and the Two Strings. It’s Asian zombies in one film and a Japanese samuri beetle, a Moon King and a wooden monkey on the other. Bizarre!

Dave launches into the Horror News of the Week discussing a variety of news about a Lost Boys TV series on the CW, the reveal of the new Pennywise from Stephen King’s Itand the announcement of a new Godzillaanime adventure. Not only are the Grue-crew going to Dragon*Con this year, Doc and Gruesome Magazine writer Paul Cardullo are heading to GenreBlast Film Festival in Culpeper, Virginia this August 19 – 21, 2016 and to Wreak Havoc Film Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina this late September/early October.

Feature Review: Train to Busan (2016)

The trailer for Train to Busan looked to promise an exciting Asian look at zombies as a group of heroes look to escape the apocalypse aboard a bullet train from Seoul to Busan. The film delivers with exciting zombie action with roots in Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later and World War Z but something far more unique. As the Black Saint points out, Train to Busan follows the structure of a classic disaster film. Think Poseidon Adventure or Earthquake. On top of that, the film has a heart with its core characters battling emotional and moral dilemmas as well. The film ranks high with the grue-crew.

What Have You Been Watching: Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Thomas Mariani steps in with his review of the animated highlight of the Summer Kubo and the Two Strings. While the film struggles to attract an audience in the theaters over its opening weekend, the reviews are strong for this film from Laika, the animation house behind such films like Coraline, ParaNorman and Boxtrolls. The voice cast includes Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara and George Takei.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

[00:00:39] Introduction of the Grue-crew

[00:03:19] Announcements

[00:03:52] Dragon*Con

[00:05:03] Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival

[00:05:26] iTunes Feedback

[00:08:07] GenreBlast Film Festival

[00:10:47] Feature Review: Train to Busan(2016)

[00:54:47] What Have You Been Watching: Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

[01:07:55] Support HNR w/ Patreon

[01:08:29] Horror News of the Week

[01:08:55] The CW is bringing horror fans a Lost Boys TV show

[01:13:44] Stephen King’s It reveals its updated Pennywise

[01:20:03] Now that Shin Godzilla is breaking records in Japan, it’s time for a Godzillaanimated film